Serwe saw the haloes first. Pretty sure she wasn't of the few. Also, well before Kellhus used sorcery.

What makes you so sure? No evidence either way. She was too stupid to realize she could see the onta .Also, the halos could be the Few's delusions of his mark. Just because a potential muggle sees them as well is just coincidence.

We might have a dedicated Serwe topic, but she is definitely on of those characters that could just be taken at face value as described, or who could be so much more because her attributes seem so obvious. Since we've all been speculating for so long we tend towards the ambiguous, or we would run out of stuff to talk about.

For all my thread-killing attempts, I do think Kellhus' Mark is going to appear differently when we finally see him again with sorcerous eyes (which we have not yet in TAE, right?).

I definitely agree. Titirga's mark is the only different one that we've seen (if you discount the Cishaurim), and "they said he went mad while Canting. They said his words seized things that should not be seized." Kellhus is called mad by Moenghus and the "what has come before" sections, and the metagnosis is based on seizing metaphysics beyond what anyone else can (and what better defines what should or should not be seized?). What's more, Kellhus' entire power base is based on him being a prophet, and people (well, at least Eleazeras) call him that because he seizes more than what should be seized by mere men, their secrets, their souls.

I definitely agree. Titirga's mark is the only different one that we've seen (if you discount the Cishaurim), and "they said he went mad while Canting. They said his words seized things that should not be seized." Kellhus is called mad by Moenghus and the "what has come before" sections, and the metagnosis is based on seizing metaphysics beyond what anyone else can (and what better defines what should or should not be seized?). What's more, Kellhus' entire power base is based on him being a prophet, and people (well, at least Eleazeras) call him that because he seizes more than what should be seized by mere men, their secrets, their souls.

Reminds me of:

Quote from: WLW, p566

"There are two species of revelation, my old friend. Those that seize, and those that are seized. The first are the province of the priest, the latter belong to the sorcerer..."

I've actually had thoughts along similar lines, Som, particularly that he is not one of the Few in the traditional sense. My personal idea is that Dunyain training creates an exceptional ability to honestly perceive the environment, and that once they are sufficiently informed about the nature of the Onta, they are capable of apprehending it.

Great explanation! I agree. Just as Kel observes and reacts in accordance with the world-born, he would have observed and calculated that the onta truly does exist, thus allowing him to manipulate it like a sorcerer.

I find this charming! The order of events seems to leave some wiggle room: Kellhus is bred/trained to overcome all circumstances, Kellhus encounters something he can't deal with (Mek), Kellhus adapts his shit until he has the Gift of the Few, Kellhus meets Akka

Would be neat if he could go even further: he needs to sorcery AND be impervious to chorae, so he finds an adaptation, assassin thinks they're going to kill him in TUC, Kellhus just grabs the chorae and eats it to show off, spits it up and makes it explode in assassin's skull.